Trump, Carney face each other for the first time after fallout over Ontario's anti-tariff ad
Donald Trump may not have wanted to meet with Mark Carney “for a while,” but the U.S. President had no choice but to face the Canadian Prime Minister at a state dinner in South Korea on Wednesday.
The two world leaders are in the country this week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in the city of Gyeongju, where South Korean President Lee Jae Myung held a separate special dinner in honour of Trump and other state leaders.
Carney was among the invitees at the event and was seated opposite Trump at a table that also included leaders from Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore, as reported by Bloomberg.
Upon his arrival, Carney was asked if he had a message for the president and responded by pointing to Lee and saying, “I have a message for this president,” according to The Canadian Press, who noted that he and Trump smiled and pointed at one another as they sat down.
Asked by Global News if he spoke to Trump over their meal, Carney said they had “a very good conversation.”
Earlier in the day, as Air Force One was touching down at Gimhae International Airport, Trump said talks with Canada weren’t part of his itinerary.
“For those that are asking, we didn’t come to South Korea to see Canada,” he wrote on Truth Social on Wednesday morning.
The relationship between the two world leaders turned frosty last Thursday after Ontario’s anti-tariff ad campaign using a 1987 Ronald Reagan radio address went live. Trump “ terminated ” trade talks late last week, called the ad “fake” and accused Canada of cheating.
“Canada is trying to illegally influence the United States Supreme Court in one of the most important rulings in the history of our Country,” he said, referring to a pending decision on the legalities of the tariffs his administration has applied to imported goods.
The next day, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, following a chat with Carney, said the campaign was paused, but not until it aired during the first two games of the World Series this past weekend.
That, too, drew Trump’s ire and led him to call for an additional 10 per cent tariff on Canada “over and above what they are paying now.” He has yet to clarify when the increased levy will take effect and to which goods it will apply, nor has the Canadian government been informed, according to Carney.
Speaking to reporters in Malaysia the following day, Carney said Canada was ready to sit down with the U.S. officials to continue making “considerable progress in the areas of steel, aluminum and energy.” He also suggested a deal was close and that some term sheets had been exchanged.
Monday morning, however, Trump said he had no desire to meet with Carney any time soon.
“No, I’m not going to be meeting with them for a while,” he said. “I’m very happy with the deal we have right now with Canada. We’re going to let it ride.”
Also on Monday, Doug Ford defended the ad and said the prime minister and his chief of staff saw it before it began airing on Oct. 14. The goal wasn’t to “poke the president” in the eye, he said, but to warn Americans of the dangers of tariffs and protectionism on both economies.
“Do you know why President Trump’s so upset right now? Because it was effective. It was working. It woke up the whole country,” Ford told reporters at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
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